On both sides of the ball, past head coaches are part of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl brain trust.
When Matt Nagy initially came to Kansas City in 2017, he was a young, inexperienced quarterback whose stardom was still very much in the future, according to Patrick Mahomes.
During that period, Nagy served as the offensive coordinator for the Chiefs, and they shared innumerable hours in meetings, drills, and even on game planes.
After that season, Nagy departed for Chicago, where he led the Bears as head coach for four years.
Nevertheless, Nagy returned to Kansas City and resumed working with Mahomes after being dismissed in 2021, despite the team winning the NFC North and making two postseason appearances.
Nagy had never held the unique position of head coach in the NFL before.
You know, you learn. You get exposed to various coaches, so he brings different concepts, and you could see that last year and you can see it this year, Mahomes said on Thursday. You learn the good and the bad.
After Eric Bieniemy left to take a similar position in Washington during the previous offseason, Nagy was elevated back to offensive coordinator.
And the fact that the Chiefs had two former head coaches serving as coordinators made them extraordinarily special.
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The last five years have been spent managing their defense under Steve Spagnuolo, a former interim coach of the Giants and three-time leader of the Rams.
With the exception of the 49ers and Patriots, who will play the Chiefs in the Super Bowl on February 11 in Las Vegas, no other NFL team this past season has had two previous head coaches serving as coordinators.
While Bill Belichick served as the de facto defensive coordinator and Bill O’Brien oversaw the offense in New England, Steve Wilks was in charge of the defense, and Kyle Shanahan was primarily in control of the offense in San Francisco.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid remarked, I think what you have is that both Nags and Spags are good leaders.
They also don’t hesitate to make choices. Coordinators who haven’t taken that seat may occasionally be reluctant to do so. They both perform admirably on that.
They really did a pretty good job with it.
This season, the Chiefs’ offense has had fits and starts, but it has finally found its groove, enabling them to defeat Miami, Buffalo, and Baltimore en route to the Super Bowl.
Nevertheless, their defense has been outstanding the entire season, finishing second in total defense while keeping Kansas City afloat while its offense struggled to find its footing.
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Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill stated, We definitely believe in our leaders, the Spags, and the coaches he has in place.
In football, whether at the collegiate, high school, or professional levels, there are moments when you simply don’t know what the game strategy is, but that hasn’t happened this season. We assume that a game will be successful when we start playing it.
The circumstances in Kansas City are not particularly unusual; from 2012 to 2014, the Steelers had former Bengals coach Dick LeBeau in charge of their defense and former Chiefs coach Todd Haley in charge of their offense. However, it is uncommon and somewhat of a luxury.
Reid is aware that Nagy and Spagnuolo share their perspectives, knowing that they have been in his position before.
When asked recently to consider a 34-31 record but a 0-2 playoff record in Chicago, Nagy said, “I’d modify a lot of what transpired of wishing we had won more and could’ve done more.”
However, I gained a lot of knowledge, and I wouldn’t alter that. I believe I have to be able to look inward and see where I went wrong and where I could have improved.
He returned to Kansas City with that experience, and it’s clear from his conviction for leading the offense.
An excellent illustration occurred during the Chiefs’ attempt to extend their lead and run out the clock in the AFC championship game.
Mahomes said, He had me complete this little sheet where I pick plays for different circumstances, and he went right to it—the play he gave me. We went out and performed the play because we felt at ease with it. Such things are significant.
Mahomes went on, He had periods as a head coach where he didn’t have as much success. He also had success.
However, he returned after taking what he learned from those experiences, and I believe this has made him a better coach. In this league, you have to do it, whether you’re coaching, playing, or doing anything else.
You strive to be better the next time you have the chance by taking lessons from both your successes and your mistakes.
